City of Wishes & Doubts
by VivianaShadow24
Summary: TAKES PLACE AFTER CITY OF GLASS! Portals work in so many ways. But, what happens when one works differently? What if you were sent to an alternate, parallel world? What if you were stuck there? What if you were dead there? Clary already knew something was wrong when she stumbled across her own grave. Only implied pairings are Jace/Clary and Alec/Magnus, others you have to squint.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi! Wow, this is my first fan fiction with chapters . . . First of all, I'd like to say that my writing is not Cassandra Clare's, so I might not get her characters' personalities right. Second of all (aka disclaimer), I am not Cassandra Clare. Nor will I ever own her work. Nor will I ever own her characters, although it pains me to admit it. xD**

***Note that this takes place after City of Glass, the third book. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS, OKAY?**

**Anyways, thank you for clicking on my story, and I hope you enjoy it! ^^**

* * *

_Prologue: _

"No," he answered, not a hint of hesitation in his decision.

Clary really couldn't help sending an annoyed look in his direction. She set her seraph blade down, her eyes glinting in defiance as she stared him down.

Her day had been horrible. She had awoken only to realize she had slept in, and that she had missed training with Jace in the morning completely. However, he wasn't at the Institute, or anywhere else she could think of. Simon was ignoring her, and she didn't have the slightest idea why. She worried it was because he was finally coming to his senses and blaming her for putting the Mark of Cain on him. Jocelyn was with Luke more often than usual, and Clary couldn't blame the two – but she barely saw either of them now. To top it all off, she had not eaten since the day before, mostly due to practicing by herself to improve as a Shadowhunter.

And now, when she finally bumps into Jace, she is given the news that he was going demon hunting with Isabelle and Alec.

"Why not? Jace, come on. Isabelle and Alec are going with you!" Clary knew whichever way this conversation turned out, she would come out sounding whiny and childish, but she had had enough. On every occasion when everyone would go out hunting demons, Jace would always hunt for that one reason to prevent her from going, no matter how ludicrous.

"Yes, everyone but you. Now, are you going to continue staring at my stunningly attractive self, or are you going to move away from the door?" Giving a cocky grin, he gestured to her stiff position of blocking the exit. She showed no sign of moving.

"No. Just this one time. Nothing is going to happen. It's not like every demon is going to be as dangerous as the ones we've fought before," Clary reasoned. _Maybe a little persuasion would work, even if this were Jace,_ she thought. "Besides, it might even be fun! Isabelle seems to enjoy it." His grin faltered slightly.

"That's because Isabelle has been doing this for a very long time, just like most of us. Contrary to you, who's barely began training – don't worry though. With me as your trainer, you'll pass as a Shadowhunter with flying colors." When she still wouldn't budge, Jace sighed, and gazed at her with solemn eyes. It was hard for Clary not to lose herself in his dark, golden eyes. "Clary, please, I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Her emerald eyes softened, noting his genuine concern.

"Jace, I know. But, I can just sit here all day, you know? I'm a Shadowhunter, too." Clary pressed on.

"We're going against Scorpio demons," Jace's eyes darkened, clearly losing patience. "They're very poisonous, and extremely fast. Tons of things could go wrong with you there, you know."

Clary felt a painful feeling hit her at his words, and it soon turned to anger. Was this what had been bothering him the entire time? Not her well being, but in fact how she could endanger them?

"Are you saying I'm hopeless in aiding you?" she stared at him again, however her tone was harsh and hiding a hint of dismay.

In reply, he groaned, returning her gaze with tired eyes.

"You know I don't mean it like that."

"Do you? You never let me on any 'trips' or whatever to slaying demons with you guys. The closest situations like that are when you have no choice and no way to throw me out of the battle. If I'm _that useless_, then what's the point of even having me around?If you guys are _so capable_ of taking out demons, when I'm _not?_" Jace noticeably flinched, shocked at the venomous words spoken by her. Usually, a feud like this would have been resolved easily between them, but both were tired, worn out, and having a day worse than others.

"Well fine!" Jace snapped. "Be that way. I just wanted you to be _safe_, that's all. Is it too much to ask for? Of course it is, because you know what, Clary? You're not useless in battles – it's just the fact that you always end up doing something practically suicidal! Do you never stop to think what _I_ would feel about that?!"

It was Clary's turn to flinch in surprise.

Jace let out an exasperated breath, spun on his heel, and stormed away. He didn't look back once, so he didn't catch the look of regret that crossed her face almost immediately. _Good job, Clary. You just took out your entire stress of the day on your boyfriend, who, by this point, might not even be your "boyfriend" anymore, _she thought.

Cursing silently, she ran outside to follow him. Hopefully, she could at least give an apology.

Outside, mist and fog had begun to gather, along with the first few drops of rain.

* * *

As Jace walked through the bright streets of New York, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty and disappointed. Storming away from Clary like that wasn't going to do either of them any good. He had to admit, he _did_ feel a little happy inside when he noticed she chased after him. He really hadn't expected her to do that.

But, her shouts for his name were silenced shortly, and he assumed she had probably given up and gone back home. Jace couldn't blame her, the rain was picking up in speed. If he didn't find some sort of shelter soon, he was going to be soaked in water – not that it mattered. Water was better than (possibly poisonous) demon blood.

A sharp ringing noise abruptly filled the gap of silence. Blinking, he reached for his pocket, pulling a ringing and vibrating phone out, and flipped it open.

"Alec?"

"Oh, you picked up. That's good. Wherever you are, you can head back to the Institute," his _parabatai_ had a cheerful tone in his voice; Jace got the feeling he was with Magnus. "Sorry that I'm telling you this a bit late, but we're not going hunting anymore. The Clave said something about . . . stopping demon hunting for a short period. I have no idea why, but this break is a perfect time for vacationing!" Yep, he was definitely with Magnus. Why else would Alec have such a personality change?

"Stopping demon-hunting? Isn't that what we do for a living? What's the point of a Shadowhunter, without the 'hunter' in the name?" Jace couldn't hold back his surprise. The Clave, of all people, deciding to _stop_ demon hunting for a "short period?" Something didn't sound right there.

"You're right," Alec agreed. "It is technically still a break, though. Shouldn't you be happy about this? I mean, we haven't been spending much time together, excluding all the times we've gone demon hunting. Clary hasn't been in either of them, thanks to you of course, even though you're her trainer. When's the last time you've actually spent some . . . alone-time together?"

Jace chose not to answer.

"Exactly. So remember, the next time you say something about Magnus and I, I get to have something else under my sleeve for you and Clary. Good luck!"

Alec hung up on him.

Jace pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it. A whole conversation over the phone with Alec, and he didn't get one witty remark in. That was degrading! Maybe his day had gone worse than he believed.

However, the fact that the Clave had so willingly announced that demon hunting was over for a while, was unnerving. He wondered where Clary was, and what she was currently doing.

* * *

It didn't take a genius to figure out it was dark outside. Clary found it strange, though, that even though this was New York – it was eerily quiet, and lacking sources of light. The only sound that showed she was outdoors was the soft drops of rain. She ignored this.

"Jace?" Clary squinted, trying to see through the inky mist of darkness. Everything was pitch-black, as if the power in New York had completely blew out everywhere. _Something feels wrong_, she couldn't help but wonder, shivering. _Something feels very wrong._

Not about to give up, she continued shouting his name through the darkness. Unsurprisingly, there was no reply. Not a footstep was heard. She felt alone.

And she probably was alone. Knowing Jace, he was most likely long gone by now, gone to meet with the others without her.

"He wouldn't just leave me like that, would he?" Clary asked no one in particular. The only response she got was the rain growing heavier and heavier.

Ducking into an alley, she yelled in frustration. _I'm an idiot. A complete idiot. I shouldn't have argued with him. He _was_ just trying to protect me, and yet I had to throw it all back into his face, _she thought, sighing. Of course, Clary wouldn't let this go. _The next time I see him,_ she decided, _I'll definitely apologize._

That didn't help her envy in how the others still got to go demon hunting, though. "I'm gonna train harder," she raised a fist and clenched it in front of her. "I'm going to train harder, and I'm going to show them what the Angel-blooded girl can do better than Angel-blooded boy!"

Her short moment of determination faded once she leaned against the brick wall – which, as it turns out, wasn't actually solid.

Clary barely had time to make any sound of surprise, as she tumbled into a hidden portal.

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	2. How Am I In Idris?

**A/N YES. A BREAK FROM SCHOOL. *fist pump* Took advantage of this to write up another chapter. ^^**

**Another thing: I am an idiot. I have no idea how old Clary is during City of Glass. I'm just going to assume she is 16, but if anyone knows otherwise don't be afraid to say so. xD Exact facts are sometimes hard for me to get. I hope I got Alicante right.**

**All right, let's do this. ONWARD TO THE STORY!**

* * *

_Chapter 1:_

_Ow._

That was the first coherent thought that came to Clary when she awoke. Yes, she was on soft grass, but she must have landed in an awkward position through the portal – because she was sore all over.

"On the bright side, it could've been worse," she muttered, rubbing her side as she slowly stood up.

Acting on instinct, her eyes scanned the area. It was clearly still dark, so she wasn't out for long, hopefully. Clary doubted she would stay knocked out from tumbling onto grass for an entire day. The cool air of the night brushed by her, lifting the curls of her scarlet hair gently.

There was a chance the portal just took her somewhere close. Best-case scenario, only a few blocks away from home. Worst-case scenario? Well, there were tons of possibilities, but Clary didn't really want to start listing some. She wasn't thinking of anywhere when she tumbled through the portal.

Lady Luck was rarely friendly towards her. Was that friendliness going to start now?

Nope.

Clary had no idea where she was, other than the fact that she was outside. Oh right, and those gravestones nearby. Mustn't forget about those.

_Ah, so the portal took me to a cemetery. Very reassuring, _she thought. Was this the moment where a zombie or vampire jumps out? Judging from the fact that that _had_ actually happened with a vampire, Clary found herself staying on guard for any rotting, undead, brain-eating, possibly green-colored creatures.

Nothing jumped out at her.

However, something did catch her eye. One of the graves was different from the rest. There were newly placed flowers around it, contrary to the bare surroundings of the other graves. Of course, this wasn't anything too important, as the person beneath it could have been someone who was cared about by many before – but Clary didn't even think as she leaned in to get a closer look.

Her eyes widened. The inscription read:

_In loving Memory of_

_Clary Fray_

_1991 - 2007_

_A Hero, beloved Daughter, and Friend to many_

_Will always be missed, always be loved, always remain young and forever in our hearts._

* * *

_RING RI –_

Simon lunged at his phone, nearly smashing into the small lamp beside it. He did _not_ want his mother to wake up in the middle of the night, right when there was the damning evidence of blood-filled bottles lying right in the open on his bed. Whoever was calling, it had better be important.

He checked the caller ID, reading the four-letters spelling out _Jace._

Already he wanted to just ignore the call. However, there had to be a reason why the arrogant, conceited Shadowhunter would call. Releasing a strained breath, he picked up the phone.

"Uh, hey, Simon," came Jace's voice. It sounded unusually tentative. Simon felt uneasy. Had something happened? "Could you put Clary on? She's not answering any of my calls, or any of anyone else's calls, really. Is she still angry with me? 'Cause if she is, tell her that her amazing boyfriend is officially sorry and is feeling sad that he's being ignored completely." Oh. It was just a feud. Simon didn't bother suppressing a smirk.

"Okay. Well, with a boyfriend like you, I really can't blame her for getting angry. What did you do?"

"That is nothing of your concern, if you're that jealous of me. Could you just put Clary on or something, if you're not going to be a good friend and pass on my message?"

"Clary's not even here! And whoever mentioned jealousy? You're really flattering yourself these days," he sighed. Simon was already expecting Jace's response, something to do with "How can I flatter myself when I'm already so perfect?"

It never came.

Shockingly, Jace was quiet for a few seconds, before he asked,

"She's not there?"

"Um, no? What makes you think she is?" Simon furrowed his eyebrows, confused. The air felt tense now, for some reason.

"Are you sure?" Jace pushed on. Simon was surprised he didn't hang up the moment he informed him that Clary wasn't in his residence.

"Yes, and I'm pretty sure I'd know if Clary ever snuck into my house. Hey, is something wrong?"

" . . . I don't know," his answer was in a concerned tone, rather than a confused one, like how Simon was currently feeling. "She wasn't at her house, nor the Institute, and no one's seen her. Clary isn't exactly answering any of our calls either, not just mine – and it's been a day since I last saw her, so I just assumed she went to your place."

Simon inhaled slowly, trying to process the information, while Jace continued.

"Do you know anywhere else she would go to?" There was a chance Clary was probably at one of her female friend's house, perfectly safe and having fun – but the closest friend she's ever had her same gender is Isabelle (he didn't know if Maia and Clary were actually kind enough with each other to be considered "friends"). Simon doubted there was any other place she would go to.

"No," he answered pathetically, and Jace cursed. It finally dawned upon him that this situation wasn't as light as he thought it would be. No one had seen or heard from Clary for an entire day, and she wasn't answering her phone.

That was something worth panicking about, right?

"Look around town for her, I'm going to tell the others that Clary wasn't with you," Jace said flatly, although Simon could hear bits of worry creeping into his voice.

* * *

Clary stumbled back, still staring at the inscription on the gravestone, her eyes locked on it.

She was going crazy. That was the only explanation. She was seeing things. Was it an illusion? Some trick from the Seelie Queen?

All Clary knew was that this was wrong. She was not dead, she was alive. She had to be, or else she wouldn't be standing there right now – in front of her own grave. There was no need to panic.

_Right?_

Her breathing rate – which wasn't even close to being stable – said otherwise.

No, she wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead. She was _just with_ Jace a few hours or even minutes ago. _Would I know if I was dead?_ The thought added to Clary's growing hysteria.

Finally, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes gently. It wasn't normal to see your own grave. It could just be a mistake. Plus, it said "Clary _Fray_," not "Morgenstern", or "Fairchild," her actual parents' (thinking of Valentine as her parent planted a sick feeling in her stomach) surnames. That added to the theory that it was just an illusion.

"Alright, last I recall, ghosts can't talk to people. Ghosts can't talk to people," she repeated, trying to convince herself. "I'm going to find someone – I really don't care who – and I'm going to ask them where I am."

It was good plan. What else was she to do? If they answered, she would worry about why she saw her own grave and how. If they ignored her completely, _then_ she should start panicking. After all, this was better than freaking out right this moment.

Taking a step back, her gaze still set warily on the gravestone, Clary forced herself to turn and leave.

She never liked cemeteries much, anyway.

* * *

"Jace, calm down. She's probably just playing a prank on us, or something. I mean, you _did_ piss her off, right? It's been a day, not a week." Isabelle frowned, watching him pace across the Institute and back continuously.

"That's exactly _why_ I'm not calming down! A whole day, _a whole day_, and _no one_ has even seen her?! It really can't be that hard to find someone with curly red hair and green eyes, can it?" he yell at her, but his voice was rising in volume.

"Well, it _is_ New Yor–" Magnus was shut up by a glare from Jace. "Maybe she's staying at a new friend's house?" he offered, retrying. Everyone, including the warlock, knew something was definitely wrong with Clary's sudden disappearance, but they were all trying to keep composure.

"Wouldn't she tell anyone if she was going to be staying at someone's house? Especially if we don't know about them?!" Jace countered. Realizing he was beginning to shout, he lowered his voice slightly. "Like I keep hearing, it's been a day. We should all start looking for her."

"Yeah, but–" Alec was cut off by his sister.

"Jace is right," she began, "I think we should start looking for her. I mean, we'd all be angry if she turns up completely unharmed and joyful, but it's better than sitting around when she could be in danger."

Everyone had to agree with her point.

"So, uh, does anyone have any leads we could start on?" she cleared her throat, automatically sensing a wave of pressure hitting her when she noticed they were all staring at her, waiting.

"I last saw her chasing me by an alley, but she stopped calling my name eventually – so I just thought she went back," Jace responded.

"Chasing you?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, all the girls do it," Jace replied with a cocky grin, which soon fell. "Sorry, it's better to crack jokes than start freaking out."

"You know a situation is bad when Jace himself admits he was cracking a joke about himself," Isabelle rolled her eyes, walking towards the doors of the Institute. She paused, and turned around. "Well? Come on! We're going to find Clary."

* * *

"Oh my God," were the only words that came out of Clary's mouth. It was now her equivalence to "Oh no."

If she remembered correctly, then this would be Angel Square, which would mean she was in _Idris_. She wasn't even in America anymore, let alone New York. She was far, far away from home, like Dorothy waking up in Oz instead of Kansas.

"Oh my God," Clary repeated, staring at the people – Shadowhunters – walking around, some stopping to gaze at the large bronze statue of the Angel Raziel. She was back in Idris.

And she had no idea how to get back. Had anyone noticed that she had Portaled in? How did the portal take her _inside_ of the city since she wasn't authorized, instead of her bouncing off and flying into Lake Lyn again? Although, she wasn't about to complain about that.

But, she knew pretty much no one here. The last time she was here, Jace and the others were temporarily residing in the Penhallow house. Now, she was alone. Everyone else was back at New York.

Clary wondered if the Penhallows were still there, since even though she wasn't exactly the best of friends with Aline, they weren't enemies.

Submerged in her thoughts about what to do, someone bumped into her.

"Watch it," he growled. Clary thought about apologizing at first, but forgot as she looked up planning only to shoot back a retort.

The retort died in her mouth. Her eyes met golden ones.

"_Jace?_ What are you doing here?" Whether it was relief or surprise, Clary couldn't help but stare at him. Was she seeing another illusion? It was like she had fallen into Lake Lyn after all, just only holding the symptom of seeing things.

He didn't reply – but he did do the most ungraceful thing Clary had ever seen him do.

Jace took a hasty step back, resulting in a stumble – which caused him to slip and fall on his back, all the while blinking furiously, as if Clary was non-existent. When she didn't "poof away," he spluttered,

"G-Get away from me! You're not real! _YOU'RE NOT REAL!_" His eyes were full of sorrow and fear.

Wait. Back up.

_Fear?_ No. That's not right. Jace Wayland laughed in the face of fear. Jace Lightwood conquered fear. Jace Morgenstern wasn't supposed to have fear. Jace next to the word _afraid_ is unthinkable. Absurd. Especially when it was directed at her, Clary Fray.

Was this some kind of joke? Some mean way of getting back at her? Clary didn't think Jace would come all the way to Idris to fulfill that.

"Jace?" she reached out at him, but he flinched – almost like a cornered animal. He was scaring her now. "Look, is this about what happened last night? I'm sorry, okay? It was my fault. I know you wanted to protect me, but I wanted to go demon hunting anyway. You're right . . . sometimes I do get into suicidal plans."

She didn't know what to expect. Maybe, that he would get up and laugh it off, saying it was all just a prank and that he was glad she finally admitted that she was wrong? Maybe, that he would playfully ask her to repeat all that?

Whatever it was, she certainly didn't expect him to become cautious and wary as if she was some fearful demon waiting to attack.

"I don't . . . understand. Why're you apologizing? I know it's my fault; you keep appearing and telling me that. I know. _By the Angel, Clary_, I'm so sorry. If you're just going to disappear again, it's going to hurt more and more every time I see you."

Clary felt like her heart was being thrown into a shredder. Did he mean that they should break up? Was this how Shadowhunters broke up with each other? And what the hell did he mean by her "disappearing?!"

She wanted to show anger and lash out, but she couldn't. All that she currently knew was hurt and confusion.

As he stood up again, Clary noticed he was going in the direction where she came from. There was a chance she was misunderstanding this. Making a split-second decision, she grabbed his arm – causing him to flip his head back at her in bewilderment.

"You– You_ grabbed_– How did you–?" She ignored his shock.

"Jace, _why?_ If you're going to . . . If you're going to break up with me, at least give me a reason why! Don't just give me the 'It's not you, it's me' lecture. There has to be an actual reason. We've been through _so much_, and I understand if you're tired of me. I guess I had to expect something like that. Give me a reason, Jace, or else I'll be stubborn, and not accept this!"

"_Break up_ with you? What are you talking about?! Since when were we even– Well, I guess I'm happy that you thought we were, but that's not the point. Clary, you're confusing me. Usually you come only to blame me, and I'm fine with it. I deserve it. But now, you're here spouting out all this nonsense! And you– How are you grabbing my arm?" he ended, eyes wide in complete astonishment.

Clary blinked. So they weren't dating? All the teasing remarks he was always making about her together with him always told her otherwise, though. Why was he behaving so strangely, too? Jace was rarely this hesitant, this . . . this _scared_ of her, as if she was some ticking bomb.

"How am I . . . grabbing your arm?" she asked silently, in a deadly tone. "_That's_ what you ask me? Right when you tell me that we weren't anything? What did you _think_ I thought of you, then? Why did you think I specifically asked the Angel Raziel to bring you back? _I love you_, that's why. Is that what you wanted me to say? That I love you? Because I do. I really thought you did, too. Do you? Or is all I survived through for nothing?"

Emerald eyes met golden eyes, and he breathed out. His arm was no longer tense around where her grip was.

"Yes, Clary. I do. I do love you. All you survived through wasn't for nothing. But all I survived through was. You _saved_ me from Sebastian, even though I wish you didn't. You were the one person I could truly, fully rely on with no doubt or hesitance. So please, trust me. I already know you won't be staying for long, and I'm a selfish person, you know?"

And he leaned in, kissing her.

Her grip on his arm loosened, and after what seemed like seventh heaven to her, he turned, and walked off in the direction of the cemetery. She didn't know why. She didn't need to know why. He was probably visiting Max. Clary hated how she didn't even stop to check on the boy's grave.

The kiss they shared had distracted her enough for her to forget her perplexity of why he had spoken of her in past tense.

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	3. What Is Death, Really?

**A/N I'm trying so desperately to update at least once a week, and on weekends. I scraped up all the time I had on Saturday to finish all the homework I needed to do so I could have Sunday to type this up… But who cares about me? Let's move onto the important subject – this chapter!**

**Note that I write impulsively. There ain't no planning in these stories with me. I get an inspiration, I write the first chapter, and then I just let the ideas roll into more chapters. xD I can't plan, okay? -_-**

**It's a short chapter, I apologize, but it's something… I'll try updating at least once a week on weekends, even if they're short chapters.**

* * *

_Chapter 2:_

Clary had to physically shake her head to escape from the stupor she was in. A million questions were still threatening her, and there wasn't enough time to propose even one to Jace. _How was she sent to Idris? Why was he in Idris? Did that mean the others were here, too? Why was he acting so strange? And _why_ did it seem like she was in foreign land, despite the fact she had been in Idris before?_

She needed answers. Yes, that was a _need_, not a _want_. Clary couldn't just spend all day wandering around Angel Square, praying she would run into a familiar face like she had with Jace. Her luck was never something she could depend on, and that was proven many times in the past.

Standing by herself in a secluded area somewhere near the statue of Raziel, Clary thought of her options. Would there be a chance of someone recognizing her as Clary Fray or Fairchild, the girl who could create runes? Could she go to the Clave?

_No, I would be completely hopeless in knowing what to say. _She felt disappointed in herself. All that training with Jace, and in the end, she was still clueless in some aspects of being a Shadowhunter.

A soft buzzing emitted from her cellphone and Clary felt the vibrations it gave off in her hand. To her slight surprise, she was clenching it tightly in her fist. She hadn't even noticed that she had taken her phone out.

_Low battery, _she read, unconcerned. It wasn't like her phone had given her much help, seeing as "No Signal" was all that was displayed every time she checked it upon arriving in Idris.

What _did _make her curious, however, was the date shown on the dim screen of her phone. From when she first awoke in the graveyard, it had remained the same. There was never a change in time, or day.

Clary believed it was just because it had broken when she landed rather roughly from the portal she fell through, but she had seen enough bizarre events for the frozen time to rouse up theories. _Maybe I never fell into a portal, maybe I just slipped and hit my head somewhere while chasing after Jace, and this is all just a dream since I'm unconscious. Or maybe, I'm just so stressed or tired that I began hallucinating, and this is all really just New York and me stumbling around like I'm drunk._

They were all just futile attempts to assure her that she wasn't actually alone in Idris, though. Clary groaned and fell back onto a nearby bench, trying to release some of her confusion and frustration. Her head bowed as she covered her face with her hands.

Jace had gone to where she was before, the graveyard. There was a chance he was still there. Before, he seemed so stricken and ashen at her presence that she felt that he might have needed some alone time, but she had no other connection in Idris. If she went to see him again, she would approach with more caution.

It worried her. Why would Jace act in such a way? She had seen countless sides of him, but the one she had met with before was not like any other – no, not even close.

He looked _broken_, and all Clary wanted was to comfort him. It was only the fact that what triggered the reaction seemed to be her that stopped her from going back to find him.

_To become Captain Obvious, there is something very wrong going on, but what? _She thought, her hands pressing into the soft skin of her face.

For what had to be the millionth time that day, her train of thought was suddenly halted. A gentle, warm feeling had set itself on her left shoulder. Someone had placed a hand on her shoulder. She heard a sigh of relief.

"Jocelyn, so you're here. You had me – us all, worried," the voice corrected himself. "I feared you would do something rash in your grief. It would be foolish of me to ask if you're all right, considering none of us are after… what has happened. Do you… wish to stay in Idris, or should we return back to the Institute in New York?"

Clary knew that voice anywhere. She lowered her hands, and prayed that when she looked up, she would see who she thought it was. Her emerald eyes were hopeful as she raised her head.

Lady Luck was, surprisingly, lending a hand for once.

"Luke," was all she said, although the one word was filled with emotions.

* * *

It was hard to find someone in New York. It was hard_er_ to find someone in New York when it was nighttime, even though Simon had practically perfect vision as a vampire. Perfect-vision gives you nothing when you have crowds of people and tourists shoving you around this way and that.

At least, that was what Simon had always known – and it was being proven now.

Just around an hour before, he had basically gotten a call that informed him that Clary was _missing_. Jace had hung up giving him no information of exactly _why_ she had disappeared.

It wasn't exactly reassuring, of course, to let his imagination run free on all the possible reasons for why Clary would just vanish. Simon wanted to cling onto the hope that it was only the occasional lovers' spat that escalated more than usual, causing Clary to stomp away in exasperation.

Something in Jace's voice during the call had said otherwise, though.

Simon took out his phone, dialing a number he had tried for dozens of times. Each answer was the same, the machine voice answering with a monotone voice, "The person you are calling is not available to take your call, please try again later."

This time was not any different from the rest.

Clary was not answering a single call from anyone. Even Jocelyn didn't have the slightest clue where her daughter was, but was currently rushing to the New York Institute with Luke from Idris (both Simon and Clary had no idea why they went to Idris, though they assumed it was some meeting with the Clave) after receiving the horrible call of "Hey, your daughter is missing and none of us have had any contact with her for a day, so is she with you by any miniscule chance?"

For the entire day, Clary had vanished from the face of the earth.

Simon shoved his cellphone back into his pocket rather roughly, and continued weaving his way through the crowds, trying desperately to ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him that he wasn't going to notice a curly scarlet-haired with emerald eyes that he knew anytime soon.

* * *

A shadow seemed to cross Luke's face, as if he had just been told grim news. Clary couldn't help but connect this sudden change with how Jace reacted when he saw her. Was Luke angry with her, too? He had mistaken her for Jocelyn, and said something about her "grief."

This planted a feeling of dread that clawed at her within. Clary was almost sure that something had happened during the time she was knocked unconscious. But, what would be so strongly influential to affect Jace in such a way, and upset her mother with such grief, along with Luke?

And, was it her fault?

Luke shook his head then, blinked furiously, and ran a hand through his hair. His head was angled toward the dark sky now, and his eyes were closed.

"I understand Jace now. Jocelyn, even I am beginning to hallucinate. You look like…" Luke hesitated then, as if the subject was painful. He quickly switched subjects. "Which brings me to Jace. None of us have found him yet, he ran out immediately after being told what happened. Argh, we have won against Valentine and his cursed son, but why does it feel as if we have lost?" He sounded despondent and distant, to Clary's shock.

Valentine and Sebastian were both dead. It wasn't healthy to be, in a way, glad that your father and brother were both dead, but after how they've treated her – Clary had to think of it in such a light.

She was confused, though. Why did Luke continue mistaking her for Jocelyn? What was this talk about hallucinations? Luke wasn't beginning to lose it, was he? Was Jace experiencing the same thing? With every moment passing, the questions kept building up, and not a single one of them was answered.

"No, Luke," Clary furrowed her eyebrows. "It's me, Clary. And what do you mean? Did something happen? Please, tell me what's going on. All of you look either horrified or hateful to see me… tell me, what did I do to cause this? If you're all going to be so cryptic whenever you speak to me, you gotta realize that I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed!" She didn't mean to raise her voice, but she did, and it gained a few interested and puzzled looks from the few Shadowhunters walking by.

Luke noticed this, and looked surprised for some reason. Clary didn't bother asking herself why. There were enough questions.

His gaze traveled back onto her, his eyes disbelieving.

"What? Clary? No… No, I'm hallucinating… You can't be real! But, did the others just notice you? Am I not the only one seeing you?" Clary never thought she would ever see him so lost, so confused, and especially since she was the one who was more likely to fall apart in this situation. "Are you a spirit?"

She stared at him incredulously. The memory of seeing her own grave flashed back. No, she wasn't dead though. She was here, right now. Jace, Luke, and the Shadowhunters nearby had acknowledged her presence.

_There is something you're missing_, she thought. _When Jace and Luke saw you, they both acted like you were…_ Like she was what? That was the missing puzzle piece.

"A spirit? What are you talking about?" Clary stepped back, tearing her eyes away from Luke, setting her eyes on her hands, which were open in front of her. _Like I was dead, _she realized, swallowing dryly.

She didn't feel dead. She wasn't transparent. Nor was she giving off an eerie glow. Then again, what would she know about being dead?

"Why are you guys acting like I'm dead?" Clary felt an abrupt dizziness, and everything took on a blurry edge, but she fought it. Luke seemed to be fighting off his own slight hysteria.

"Clary, you… Are you really…? I _saw_ you. You were lying on the sand, you weren't breathing," he choked, "the Silent Brothers pronounced you were dead long before by the time we got to them with you."

Before Clary had the chance to respond, she felt the air rush past her as everything went blank. She unwillingly gave in to oblivion.

**Please review! :D **


	4. Oh, He's Still Alive?

**A/N Sorry I didn't update last week. But hey, at least I typed up a Fairy Tail fanfic last week for you guys!**

**I am actually quite disappointed in this chapter, since I rushed. :( As a writer, I always want to try my hardest for my stories. I don't think I got Luke's personality right at all here! D: Still, I hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

_Chapter 3:_

"Unbelievable. _Unbelievable_! What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Luke? Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Isabelle's yell cut through the fog in Clary's mind. _What's going on? Am I back at the Institute?_

There was a horrible, pulsating pain in her head - the kind you get during the aftermath of when you smash your head against something like concrete or stone. Although, comparing it to past wounds she had gained from demons, it wasn't too bad. Still, that didn't mean Clary did not mind the throbbing pain.

Some part of her wished that what she had experienced before, with Luke stating that she was _dead_ of all things, were all just a dream.

As if she was that lucky.

"Isabelle, it's not a joke. You know I wouldn't do that! I just… is it too much to hope for that Clary is still alive?" his voice fell into a desperate and anguished tone. It sounded like denial, as much as Clary hated to admit it.

There was a sigh from Isabelle. Her voice was more sympathizing and sincere the next time she spoke.

"Yes. It is. I hate it, but it is too much to hope for. Clary's… body was already burned and sent to the Silent City. We were at her- her funeral," Isabelle choked, and Clary tried to move. To stand, to sit up, to do _something_. Her friend was close totears. _Tears._

How often did Isabelle cry?

But she couldn't move. Clary couldn't do anything. It seemed like there was a force pushing her down, rendering her limbs useless. It was infuriating to her. Her mind wouldn't listen to her, she was worried about her mother, worried about Jace, Luke seemed to break down at the sight of her, Isabelle was resisting her urge to cry, and Clary didn't know what to do.

She wasn't even clear of what was going on, other than the fact that she was dead. Supposed to be, anyway. Either way, she had caused this grief.

"Who - _What _is this, then?" Isabelle had won her inner battle, although her voice sounded empty to Clary. "Some demon spy? No, this is the Institute… An oversized doll?" It felt insulting to be called that, but Clary understood that Isabelle just didn't know.

"No, she was talking to me earlier. I know it's hard to believe, but I really think this is Clary. I thought she was a spirit at first, but… I don't know… It seemed like she doesn't know that she's… passed away."

"That's crazy. Even if she was an imposter, everyone knows what happened to her in the Mortal War. She's considered a hero now, thankfully. It's better that her memory is remembered as good." There was soft noise near Clary. Isabelle had sat down next to her. "Anyways, I don't think Jace should see this. I fear that he'll really lose it then."

"Stop talking about her as if she's an object." There was a frown in Luke's voice. "I would know if an imposter decided to fool us. This is Clary, and I know it's impossible for her to be alive, but there's something different here. Can't we at least try to trust her? See what she knows?"

Clary's mind chose that moment to regain control of her body. However, she was already trying hard before to lift herself up. The sudden release of the "pressure" that was holding her down caused her to fly forward in her speed at sitting up. She fell onto Isabelle.

Isabelle instinctively pulled out a seraph blade directly inches away from her face. Her blue eyes were wide in shock at her movement, and Clary's hands flew up as if telling her friend to "stop."

"No, Isabelle, it's me! Put the seraph blade down!" she yelled frantically, fully believing that her friend could easily slice her to bits under the impression that she was some spy. Luke's expression matched Clary's, but he stopped midway from yanking the weapon out of Isabelle's hands.

Clary watched as her friend's eyes became watery again. The seraph blade clattered noisily to the ground, as her arms wrapped around Clary.

"You're _alive_," she whispered, the tears finally spilling out.

* * *

Simon kicked an empty coke can across the street carelessly. He had searched all night, and at an agonizingly slow pace - time had passed. It was now the afternoon.

There wasn't even a trace of Clary to be found.

He had searched all over New York. New York was big place, but he had searched everywhere, and turned up with nothing. Clearly, the others hadn't found anything either. As he had thought before, it was as if Clary never existed.

Simon found himself wishing he had spent more time with her. Lately, he had been spending more time roaming around New York and trying to see how far his abilities could go. He would visit Isabelle whenever she wasn't in the Institute. As ashamed as he was to admit it, he forgot completely about Clary after the Mortal War, only slight thoughts of her drifting through his mind.

It was only until Jace had called him about her that sparked the realization. By then, she was already missing, and now he was trying fruitlessly to find her.

No one he asked had seen her. It wasn't a surprising answer; really, most people in New York were too busy to notice a red-haired green-eyed teenage girl. Simon would have been foolish to think he'd find someone who could recall seeing her. And even if he did, what help would that be? That person would miraculously lead him to her?

Simon found a public bench and sat down, his head bowing down into his hands. A few days right after Sebastian's "reign of terror" had ended, Clary had to go missing. He hoped this was all a misunderstanding, that Clary was okay and completely fine.

Of course, they were never that lucky, were they?

The tiny seed of panic had been planted in him the day he realized Clary was involved with this Shadowhunter business. It grew to a little sprout when she told him she was a Shadowhunter. After that, the seed of panic kept growing and growing with each passing day. He tried to ignore it, he really did.

Clary would always be a source of worry for him. Sure, he was in love with Isabelle now - he had learned the hard way that he would never measure up to Jace - but Clary was still his best friend.

Your best friend going missing doesn't exactly help stress or sanity. So, what are you supposed to do?

"Something," Simon muttered, answering himself. At least if he kept looking for her, it was better than the chances of him finding her by doing nothing. He stood up.

Looking around, he noticed that he was back where he started, only a few blocks away from the Institute. Ignoring the annoyance that he couldn't enter the Institute to see what was going on, know what they were planning, Simon continued his path forward. Great, now he would search in circles-

His footsteps paused. His eyes flickered over to the alley next to him, catching something glinting from the darkness. If it weren't for his enhanced vision, he would have missed it completely.

Normally, Simon would have laughed at himself. Caught in a trance by something shiny mid-thought, like some cat. However, he felt drawn to the alley somehow, in some way he couldn't describe without sounding cliché.

Turning, he advanced towards the alley, the shadows nearby seemingly swallowing him. Through his peripheral vision he saw only trash bags, dirt, and some other things he didn't exactly want to know about lying around. The walls were shockingly untouched with graffiti. There was just something that was drawing him in here, something that was…

His thoughts were interrupted again. Simon's eyes locked directly onto the object that caused the glint of light.

It was a ring. A small, silver ring with an "M" on the front that could be read as a "W" if held the wrong way, and there was a pattern of stars around it. There was also a string through it, like it was worn as a necklace. The string was ripped though,

The Morgenstern ring was something Simon had seen around Clary's neck ever since Idris.

* * *

"Clary… But _how?_" Isabelle asked when the three of them sat facing each other. She was wearing her usual Shadowhunter gear, but she didn't look as graceful or calm. With her hands clenched tightly together, Isabelle looked almost afraid of her answer. "Will you… Will you be staying, or is this just a temporary visit from the beyond before you leave again?"

Clary didn't know how to answer. To be honest, she herself didn't know if she would be staying.

"I… I don't know," she answered softly. "One moment I'm chasing Jace because I said something I shouldn't have, the next moment I foolishly tumble through a portal, waking up in the graveyard at Idris."

Luke leaned back, deep in thought. At the mention of a portal, he sat up and furrowed his eyebrows at Clary.

"A portal? That leads to Idris? And you did not bounce off the wards like we did the last time we came?" Clary winced, knowing that it was her rash decision to open up a portal back when she was angry at the others for not letting her come along to Idris. Thinking back, it was always because of her anger that got her into situations like these.

"No," she answered warily. "I was confused about that, too. It was also a disguised portal, I thought it was a brick wall until I leaned against it and fell through." Clary let out an embarrassed laugh.

"So, before you came through everything was fine?" Luke was unconsciously leaning forward towards her. Clary blinked.

"By 'fine,' if you mean everyone still thought I was alive, then yes."

This got Isabelle interested. No longer fearful, she wore the same thinking face Luke had on.

"Everyone still thought you were alive before you awoke in the graveyard?" she repeated, frowning. Isabelle turned towards Luke. "Maybe we should call Magnus. He's the expert when it comes to portals or anything to do with magic. Is it time-travel? Resurrection? Or is she delirious?"

"Isabelle, I'm still here. I'm not joking or delirious! Before Luke found me, I was at New York. You guys believed I was alive at that time. Then I awake here and suddenly everyone's acting like I'm dead!" her tone becoming hysterical, Luke placed a reassuring hand on Clary's shoulder.

"Okay, calm down Clary. It's okay." It was obvious things were not okay, but she felt herself calming down slightly. "Let's just get our stories straight. We'll start from you, Clary. Tell us what happened, and how you got here."

She took a deep breath as Luke and Isabelle sat watching eagerly.

"Alright, it's been a few days after the Mortal War. I was overjoyed since it was clear that Jace and I were not siblings. However, I was still a Shadowhunter who needed training, so he became my trainer," Clary scoffed. "Nothing I did could satisfy the guy who could jump 30 feet into the air. Either way, things were looking good. The only thing that bothered me was that Jace would never bring me demon hunting. I knew he was worried about my safety, but it was annoying to be stuck training and never using my skills on an actual demon."

And, one day, I confronted him about it. I was not having a good day, and he probably wasn't, too. I said some stupid and hurtful things, and he walked away. When I realized what I had done, I ran out after him - but he was already gone from my view. I didn't have any runes to see well in the dark, either. I stumbled around in the darkness before I gave up and went into an alley to think to myself, and I leaned against the brick wall. At least, I _thought_ it was a brick wall. It turned out to be a hidden portal, and I tumbled through."

"A hidden portal to Idris?" Luke mumbled. "Interesting."

"Then," Clary continued, "I woke up in a graveyard. There… I found my own grave. I was shocked, and I thought it could be because the Seelie Queen gave me hallucinations. Still having no idea where I was other than at a graveyard, I found my way out and into Alicante. Once again, I was shocked. Especially since I had came through a portal, and not bounced off into Lake Lyn like before. Walking around aimlessly, with nowhere to go, lost and confused, I bumped into Jace."

"You bumped into _Jace_?" Isabelle stared at me, horror written all over her face. She repeated herself. "You bumped into _Jace_? By the Angel, what did he do when he saw you?"

"Yeah… he stumbled back and treated me like I was a ghost. Right then, I knew something was wrong. Why would Jace be afraid of me? It was unnerving," Clary recalled, deciding to leave out the part about when they kissed. "After a few words from him, he left and went in the direction of where I came from, the graveyard. I had assumed he'd gone to visit Max." Isabelle flinched only slightly at the sound of the boy's name, but she recovered fast. Clary made note to never mention the name again near her. "I wandered around again, and clueless in what to do, I sat down on a bench. That's when Luke found me. The rest is history," she ended.

"Wow," was all Isabelle said. "Then it's not time-travel. Judging by how you explained your part of the story, I think we're about in the same time period. What I _don't_ get is how you… lived past the Mortal War." It was hard for everyone to say she was dead or living, Clary noticed with a tinge of guilt.

"What was the outcome of the Mortal War?" Luke asked gently. Clary could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"Um… For me? Well, we won the Mortal War. Valentine summoned the Angel Raziel, who had refused to listen to Valentine's insane reasoning. Valentine was killed with a single spit from Raziel. But," She had wanted to keep Jace's resurrection a secret. It was supposed to be a secret between the two of them, but it seemed that his resurrection was an important detail. "Valentine had killed Jace to summon Raziel. If it weren't for the wish the Angel Raziel had granted me, I don't think Jace would be here now. My wish of him coming back to life was granted."

"When did Sebastian show up?" Isabelle's voice held venom, but it wasn't towards Clary.

"Sebastian?" she repeated, blinking. "No, Jace killed him before Valentine summoned the Angel Raziel. You were with him, and you cut off Sebastian's hand."

"What?" Luke stopped thinking, his face now of confusion. Next to her, Isabelle frowned and uttered five words that caused the room to suddenly become smaller and more compact.

"Clary, Sebastian is still alive."

* * *

**Thank you for reading and please review! :D**


	5. So It Isn't Completely Useless?

**A/N ****Summer is almost here… Just a few more months of school! xD Scraped up time to get this written. Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I typed this up quickly and I have school tomorrow. I procrastinated! D:**

* * *

_Chapter 4:_

It was surprising how a simple sentence could cause Clary to experience claustrophobia. Then again, how often was one informed that someone who had tried to kill their friends and family, someone who had _succeeded_ in killing friends and family, someone who literally had the blood of _demons_ within them - was still alive? Clary didn't think it was something that happened every day.

Really, Clary couldn't think at all. _Clary, Sebastian is still alive. Clary, Sebastian is still alive. Clary, Sebastian is still ali-_

_Was it all for nothing?_ The thought cut off the words from Isabelle in her mind. Many of the Nephilim and Downworlders had given their lives to the short war against the newly formed Circle and demons. _Max_. Even Jace had lost his life, although it was only for a short period of time.

But they had won. Valentine was killed. The Circle fell. The summoned demons were slain and sent back to their realms, hopefully to never return. Sebastian was also killed in the process. Right?

Clary didn't know anymore. _One moment I'm happily enjoying the peace that had followed after the Mortal War ended, the next I'm chasing Jace, and now…_ Clary didn't know anymore. Had they never won the war? Was she living in a delusion, only to awaken now? _Now_, of all times?

"_Clary_!" Luke's call yanked her back into reality. Finally, Clary realized that she had not reacted physically yet to anything. She had frozen immediately after Isabelle spoke. Her eyes dropped to her hands, almost in a quizzical way, as if she wasn't exactly sure they were even there. Shaking her head, she looked up to meet Isabelle and Luke's worried gazes.

"Did you believe that Sebastian was dead?" Isabelle asked cautiously, softly. They didn't ask if she was all right, solely because it was clear she wasn't. "I really don't get it. Your story is practically the same as ours, except for the ending. I was fighting with Alec and the others in battle, I never followed after Jace."

"So," Clary rasped. Her voice felt old and hollow, as if she hadn't used it in a while. "What was the difference? What happened with you?"

"Me? I was with Alec and Magnus. All we were trying to do was make sure the other didn't get hit from the back. Luke was with Jocelyn." She leaned back - closing her eyes, taking a breath - before continuing. "Later, we found Jace by the shore of Lake Lyn, and he was sitting upright on the bloody sand and clutching onto someone on his lap, completely motionless. Valentine's body was a few yards away, a smoking hole in the center of his chest. Sebastian was nowhere to be found. It wasn't long before we pieced together what happened. Alec moved to pull Jace off of you, but that was when hell broke loose. Jace yelled and screamed many incoherent things, and I was sure none were pretty compliments to us. I had to knock him out before he actually did some permanent damage on Alec. No one knows Jace's side of the story clearly… He refuses to even talk to us."

Clary had nothing to say about that without choking. So, she questioned,

"What happened with Sebastian? Did you assume he was alive since there was no body found?"

"We're sure he's alive because it's all Jace does now." There was a dark look in Luke's eyes when he answered. "He spends every second of every day hunting after Sebastian. I don't think eating or sleeping exists to him, anymore. The only thing still keeping him going is locating Sebastian… and ending him."

And the next thing that bursted out of Clary's mouth made her feel stupid.

"I need to talk to him."

Luke's eyes widen and Isabelle pursed her lips. They were both obviously uncomfortable with the sudden request. Clary knew it was a bad idea, even before she saw their reactions. However, it was the truth that came out. She did want to talk to Jace, especially after her last unpleasant exchange with him at Angel Square.

"Clary, I don't think it would do Jace any good to see you. I mean, no one can find him anyway, and he's already having delusions of…" Isabelle trailed off. She stood up, gave Clary a light hug with slight hesitance, and turned toward the door. "You should probably go see Magnus. He'll most likely have some idea of how you ended up here. I have to go back to Simon-"

"Simon?" Clary's head shot up to look at Isabelle. "How is he? I mean, is as bad as Jace, or…?" Worry and a sprinkle of guilt sparked in her emerald eyes. She had completely forgotten about her best friend!

Isabelle's expression became downcast. Her line of vision fell to staring at the edge of where the floor and wall met intensely.

"He's not doing so well, either. It's only been a few days, so I think he'll get better," She didn't look like what she thought. "These days I stay with him." Clary almost smiled at the slight hint of red that spread on Isabelle's cheeks. Almost. The situation wasn't light enough for that.

"Is it okay if I see him?" Clary knew perfectly well she was being selfish. It could only rip up wounds if she went to visit him, who was currently under the impression that she was dead. But Simon was always the closest to her, next to Jace. They had known each other for so long. She hadn't seen him in days.

"See him?" Isabelle repeated. "Well, maybe…" She was hesitant. "The moment he panics, I pull you out of there." It was still a yes.

* * *

Simon stared at the Morgenstern ring as a predator would analyze its prey. His eyesight helped him notice every detail. The ring had small scratches on it, as it was obviously tossed around at some point. At least, the string that held the ring as a necklace had minute strands of it lying around. The whole string itself was just ripped in two.

It looked like it had been violently ripped away from someone. And Simon had found it in an alley. A dark alley, small enough so that people couldn't see anything happening within it. The alley near where Clary had disappeared.

The gears turned in his head.

"No," Simon said aloud, the ring with the part of string attached clattering to the asphalt ground. He was tense as he bent down to pick it up. His eyes scanned the alley.

It was easy to be trapped here. The cement wall not far from him at the back of the alley marked it as a dead end. The brick walls around him were narrow enough to fit around two or three people side-by-side. There were no signs of illuminations. From the opening to the cement wall at the back, it was probably enough space to run a minute or two before you hit the dead end, quite literally if you don't slow down fast enough.

However, Clary was a Shadowhunter. She also had an incredible ability of creating new runes, so Simon wouldn't be surprised if a single rune she made could reduce the cement wall to rubble. Normal mundanes wouldn't have a chance of ever kidnapping her.

_But what if they weren't normal mundanes?_ The thought came, uninvited. Simon had no idea who "they" exactly implied, but the thought made him feel uneasy. After all they've gone through - with demons, angels, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and horrible beings like Sebastian - Simon knew enough not to question what existed in their world. _Worlds_, he corrected himself.

Staring at the small ring in his hand, the ring that could mean anything, Simon reached for his pocket and flipped open his phone. He dialled a number he thought he would never even pay attention to.

"Uh, Jace? I think I've found something."

* * *

As Isabelle rang the doorbell to Simon's house, Clary stood waiting next to her awkwardly. Her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans. There was a long silence that passed between them, and the door remained closed. _Maybe there's no one home?_ Clary wondered, disappointed.

Simon's mother had been out visiting Rebecca, and trusted Isabelle to take care of him. She thought since Simon caught "the flu" again, he wouldn't get into much trouble. In reality, "the flu" was really just the excuse Isabelle was forced to use, since Simon barricaded himself into his room, refusing to come out.

Finally, the door creaked as it opened slowly at an agonizing pace.

"Isabelle? What did Luke want to show you at the Institute?" a rough, dry voice Clary felt some familiarity with greeted them.

Simon looked bad. _Bad_, being the definition of "survivor of being tossed into a tornado, thrown into the sea, and blow-dryed quite harshly." His hair was tousled and sticking up in several places, his skin was paler than usual, and his eyes looked dead. Or as Simon would've put it, dead-_er_.

To any normal passerby, he would look like any typical teenage boy who was forced to wake up early on a Saturday morning. He would look _okay_ to them. But to Clary, who had known him for more than just a few years, Simon Lewis was anything but _okay_ in that current state.

He didn't notice Clary yet.

"Uh, yes," Isabelle confirmed warily. "In fact, I actually have someone I'd like you to meet." She stepped aside, allowing Clary to move into Simon's line of vision. It was surprising how he hadn't spotted her before.

"If it's a therapist, I will be extremely betrayed-" And so he noticed Clary. There were no warm welcomings exchanged, no "I'm so glad to see you're alive," only absolute and total shock.

Simon stopped breathing. He stared at her, his dark eyes taking in her entire, _living_ form. His eyes widened when his brain processed who was standing before him.

"I'd like you to meet Clary. Simon, Clary. Clary, Simon. Now, shake hands or something." Isabelle gave a weak smile, as if regretting ever bringing Clary remotely close to the Lewis residence.

He made no move to shake her hand. He continued staring. Clary decided to say something.

"Hey," she released a faint smile. "Long time no see, member of the Fortuitous Occurrences."

There was no reply of some new band name. It did, however, snap him out of his stupor. Simon swallowed, grabbed Isabelle softly yet firmly by the wrist, and pulled her outside several feet away from Clary. She could still hear every word of their conversation.

"Is this some kind of joke of yours? I don't know why you're doing this to me, but it is _cruel_, okay? _Cruel._ Now tell me, who is that girl standing on the porch of my house, daring to pose as… Clary of all people?"

"No, I thought it was a sick joke when Luke introduced her to me, too. But Simon, I swear on the Angel that that is really Clary. It's hard to explain, and harder to believe, but that's Clary right there."

Simon looked away, hesitant, and Clary guessed it was because he was aware that the world he was now involved with was very serious in their oaths.

"All right, so let's say that's Clary standing there, watching us speak. But how? I… I saw her body burned and sent to the Silent Brothers. I mean, maybe it's possible if she died as a normal human and was only buried - look at me, for example - but I don't think you can come back to life fully intact after cremation." Then he paused, as if a sudden horrible thought dawned upon him. "Wait, Clary isn't a vampire now, is she?"

"What? No! I mean, it's a mystery to me how she's here, but she is not a vampire." Isabelle blinked, then looked over at Clary. "Just to make sure, you're not a vampire, are you?"

"Uh, no?"

Isabelle turned back to Simon.

"See? Not a vampire." This exchange brought out a small smile from Simon, and both Clary and Isabelle unconsciously leaned in slightly. _Progress,_ they thought.

Clary's hand brushed by her phone in her pocket, and it sparked a memory. Often times when she went to visit Simon in the past, her phone would be out of battery. Eventually, she brought a spare charger she had over and told Simon to keep it for her just in case. _Does he still have it? _she thought.

"Oh, Simon!" she called.

"Yeah?" he responded instinctively, before remembering that he was supposed to be suspicious of her. His eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice. "I mean, what do you want?" It sounded more humorous to Clary than threatening.

"Do you still have that charger I kept at your house? My phone's out of battery. It was out of signal before, but I'm guessing it was because I was in Idris."

"You were in Idris?" Clary ignored him. She would explain the long story to him later.

"Anyways, do you have it?"

"Yes," he answered, to Clary's relief. Simon held a puzzled look, before shaking his head - presumably deciding charging a cell phone wouldn't cost anyone their lives. "Here, follow me."

A few minutes later, Clary plugged the small end of the charger into her phone. She had never been more thankful when the familiar tone sounded from her phone as it turned on, declaring it was charging by a screen of a battery getting four bars and losing four bars continually.

Waiting for a minute, she snatched her phone and dialled the first number she thought of. It rung. And rung.

And rung.

Jace didn't pick up. Clary stared down at her phone, feeling murderous intent at its betrayal. She raised her head to see Simon and Isabelle watching her curiously.

"You called Jace? I'm not surprised he didn't pick up," Isabelle put a hand on Clary's shoulder. "I think he abandoned his phone. If it makes you feel better, he doesn't answer any of our calls, either." It didn't make her feel better. The thought of Isabelle trying to comfort her did, though.

Clary tried another number, the next she could think of. Her mother's.

Once again, the familiar sound of "This call is not available," came. This repeated several more times. Disappointed, she sighed and leaned against the wall. The only two numbers she hadn't tried was Isabelle's and Simon's. She closed her eyes. What had she fallen into?

Turning her head, she opened her eyes to find the messy figure of her best friend trying to tidy up his room with Isabelle. And she thought, _Oh what the hell. May as well try to see if his phone rings, to prove mine isn't broken._

She raised her phone back into her line of vision, the forever frozen timestamp of her screen meeting her eyes. Dialling Simon's number, she waited.

No one picked up. There were no rings from anywhere near Simon's phone, which she assumed was lying on the counter somewhere. Of course. That ended the mystery. Her phone probably broke when she fell through the portal-

"Cl- ary?" a voice full of static picked up. As distorted as it was, Clary knew the voice anywhere. Her eyes flew towards Simon. He was in a conversation with Isabelle, far away from her.

Wait, then who was it on the phone?

"Simon?" her voice nearly broke. _This_ was the Simon she knew. _This_ was the Simon she hadn't seen for days back at where she passed the portal from. She knew it, somehow.

"Clar- y! It's- ou! Wher- ave- been?!" The connection was getting worse by the second, but Clary could make out the sentences.

"I don't know!" she yelled, catching the attention of Isabelle and the Simon a room away from her. "How are you calling me? Where are _you_? I'm at your house!"

"I can't- ear- ell. Ose- ouse?"

"I'm at-" she was interrupted.

"Clary, who is that?" Simon was next to her now, his eyes wide upon seeing the caller ID was his own name. His eyes travelled to his own phone, which lay untouched, and then back to Clary. "How are you calling-?" his eyes narrowed. "Whose number do you have as my contact?"

"Who- as- at?! Ol- on. M- eaving- al- ley- ind- ter- c- nection."

"_WAIT,_ Simon, I-" The call was disconnected.

* * *

**Aw, poor Clary. Just when the stupid connection thing finally connects… (**_**cough **_**Mewithmyinterneteverysinglegoddamntime **_**cough**_**) To explain, Simon thought it was because of the alley that the connection was bad. Really, it was because he was **_**in**_** the alley and close to the portal that it worked. But once he leaves the alley, **_**snap**_** goes the line! Oh, and now that Simon has heard his own voice speaking over the line with Clary, what will he think? ._. I have no idea. Must figure something out by next week. xD Still no Jace. :/ Geez, I gotta squeeze him in next chapter.**

**Please review, you guys! :D**


	6. Are We A Step Closer?

**A/N Updates (usually) come every week, namely on Sunday! Now, I dunno much about two people having the same phone number. I'm pretty sure it's possible, but let's just pretend it's not here. Okay? In reality I should've done some research, but I'm the most productive person, so yeah.**

**Oh, and note that the only time there are line breaks is a transition between worlds, so it doesn't get confusing. Usually it's only about Clary in the parallel world, though.**

* * *

_Chapter 5:_

Clary knew it was only for a short duration of time, but Simon had _answered. _The call had _worked_. Sure, it was full of static, but she was in no position to complain.

Her fingers fumbling with the phone, Clary dialed Simon's number once again. However, this time all she heard was the rather familiar cold, formal machine recording of, "This call is not available." Releasing a yell of frustration, she threw the phone away from her. It landed with a soft _thump_ on the carpet.

Simon reached for the phone, flipped it open, and checked the contact. His dark eyes widened.

"I can't believe it," he mumbled. "It really is my number. But how come…?"

"Guys?" Isabelle's head poked out from Simon's room. Upon seeing a distraught Clary and baffled Simon, she frowned. "What'd I miss?"

"You missed Clary's call with some guy who sounded like me and also happened to have the same phone number me. It was also full of static, so maybe I heard wrong," Simon replied, shaking his head. He turned back to Clary, a glint of suspicion in his eyes. "Still, the same number? Who was that?"

"It was you." It was, though stupid, an honest answer. As Clary stood up from her cross-legged position, she felt miserable, and more confused than ever. _Could there be two Simons? Was it trick, or…?_ She didn't even know what the other possibility was. Questions buzzed everywhere like busy bees in her mind, and as every second ticked by the quantity of questions kept increasing.

"Me?" Simon crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed. "I don't recall ever using my phone since you arrived," he began in a matter-of-fact tone, gesturing in the direction of where the small device lay, "nor even coming in contact with it." Well, it was clear now - if it wasn't already before - that her best friend was mistrustful in her.

Clary couldn't blame Simon for being doubtful. She was questioning her existence now, too. Everyone she ran into acted like she was dead, and it was confirmed by Luke and Isabelle that she really had died earlier. No one simply _came back_ completely intact after cremation. Yet, here she was. It was crazy of her to believe that the one who answered her call earlier was Simon, but she did.

And once again, it felt as if the walls were closing in on her. Was she becoming claustrophobic now? Oh great, another problem to throw into the mix of confusion and _fear_ she felt. Everyone thought she was dead; her best friend who almost always trusted her didn't anymore; her own mother was missing; Jace sounded _broken_ and could be anywhere, doing anything that was irreversible; and Clary didn't know what to _do_ ever since she fell through that goddamned portal-

She paused. Portal.

_The portal. I fell through a portal._

"I fell through a portal," Clary echoed her thoughts aloud. Simon raised an eyebrow.

"You what? What does that have to do with-"

"I fell through a portal, and woke up in Idris. Everyone I met after that claimed I was dead!" Believing she was onto something, Clary began pacing across the room, back and forth. "The portal. That has to be it. It's what connected me to when people still thought I was alive to this." She knew that portals were only for going around the world; but then again, they were also only possible for warlocks to make. Then she stepped in, magically created a rune, and all the rules for Shadowhunters were officially rewritten.

So, what was stopping a portal from transferring her to… another world? Reality? She didn't know what where she currently was would be considered, but it was definitely a place different from where she came from. After all, Clary was pretty sure she could remember dying.

She hoped so, anyway. A theory like that would be thought of as insane, even to her, but it was better than nothing.

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning something like that back at the Institute," Isabelle said. "But I thought portals could only send you to places around the world, so I didn't really pay any attention to it."

"A portal, huh?" Clary noticed Simon was trying to dismiss the idea, but he was interested. "Are we talking parallel universes now? Like _Bleach_ or something?"

There! That was what she was thinking. It was possible she was in a parallel universe, where everything was the same except that she died. The mere thought sent a small shiver through Clary. She could have easily perished by the hands of her own father, if things had taken a different turn.

"Yes," Clary nodded, wanting to forget anything about Valentine. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. It was a portal that caused this, so we should ask someone who knows a lot about them. You guys know who I'm hinting at, right?"

They knew. She wanted to pay a visit to Magnus Bane.

"All right." Isabelle looked toward the window, which she was standing near to. The sun had left and the moon had rose, giving the outline of her an eerie glow. "We'll leave in the morning." As eager as Clary was to dispel the fog surrounding the mystery of how she arrived, she couldn't deny how she was exhausted and worn out from everything.

In short, no one protested.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Alec had his arms crossed and wore a skeptical look. "Clary called you, there was static everywhere, you heard your own voice in the background, and then the connection broke."

"No, of course not. It was actually a call from the President - _Yes, _I'm pretty sure I know Clary's voice!" Simon yelled, exasperated. His voice immediately dropped. "Sorry for yelling, but why won't you guys believe me?"

"Well, for starters, it sounds like a very clichéd phone call. For all we know, Clary could be hiding at your house - still angry at Jace or something!"

"Alec!" Isabelle stopped him from saying anymore. "Cut him some slack, we have to stick with what we have. And so far, that isn't very much. Thinking ill of Clary like that won't be helping anyone, either."

Jace sighed. They were getting nowhere with this. He and the others had arrived on the scene of Simon fiercely jabbing numbers on his cellphone cursing quietly with every breath he took, and moments later he explained that Clary had called him earlier. Thinking positively, it meant Clary was okay. Thinking negatively, they still had no idea where she was, if she was in danger, and it was questionable if she was okay or not as her voice was distorted with static.

He wanted desperately to go with the positive thought, although the negative thought was more realistic. It had been nearly two days, and this one phone call was the only lead they had. Clary was gone for only two days, but when would she return? Could she even return? Eventually, those two days would become a week, and a week would become a month.

And it was the possibility of Clary never returning that made Jace uneasy. No, uneasy was putting it very lightly. It terrified him. Any thought of Clary leaving to somewhere he couldn't follow unspeakable to him. The words of Valentine could never leave his head: _To love is to destroy._

Jace shook his head, trying to banish any thought of Valentine. Despite how horrible Valentine was, he was still what Jace had considered a "father" as a child. After all he had done and caused, anyone thinking Valentine to be _father-like_ was likely believed to be deranged. Clary was Valentine's real daughter, and she despised him.

Which brought him back to the topic of Clary. He would never admit it, but Jace felt slightly irritated at how she called Simon instead of him.

"Oh right, I almost forgot!" Simon reached into his pocket and held out something Jace automatically recognized. "I found this in an alley a few blocks away. I think it's Clary's; I remember seeing her wear this every day ever since we came back from Idris."

"That's…" Jace eyed the ring. There was no doubt about it; it was the Morgenstern ring. He had given it to Clary. Why was it in some alley? Did he really anger her that much?

"Isn't that the Morgenstern ring?" Isabelle peered over Simon's shoulder.

"Yeah. I gave it to her while we were in Idris." Taking the ring from Simon, Jace raised one end of the broken string with his index finger and thumb. "Did you rip it or something?"

"I found it like that." Simon shrugged. If he was annoyed that Clary didn't fail to wear something Jace had given her, he didn't show it. His eyebrows furrowing together, Jace examined the ring again. He glanced back up at Simon.

"Do you know which alley you found this in?"

* * *

Isabelle slammed a fist onto the door of an apartment, finally snapping. Clary flinched and Simon blinked in surprise.

"_DAMN IT, MAGNUS BANE. WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!_" she roared, raising her fist and slamming it onto the door again - most likely rousing a few neighbors in both her speech and her action. Clary only stared at her sudden act of violence. The doorbell had been proven useless after their countless tries in the past hour. Not once did anyone come to answer them.

Finally, the door creaked open, revealing a familiar warlock. He was wearing bright colored baggy trousers accompanied by a white shirt with splattered purple paint on the front. There were streaks of blue in his tousled dark hair, and as usual he appeared to be sparkling. A mischievous glint was in his cat-like eyes, and a small grin danced across his lips.

_He seems to be the same as usual,_ Clary thought. Out of everyone she had met so far after "The Portal Incident," Magnus looked the least changed.

"Well, it's nice seeing you again, too." His voice was light, as if a Shadowhunter hadn't just nearly broken down his door in the early hours of morning. Magnus' smile dropped into a look of slight surprise and interest as he spotted Simon. "Ah, Simpson! I see you've finally left your home to come and visit."

"It's Simon," Simon corrected.

"Simon. Names were never my thing, you know?" The warlock shook his head, and his eyes flickered over to Clary. This time they widened in shock, before he regained his composure. "And… I see you've brought a friend. Who is…?"

"If I had a nickel for every time someone sent me a shocked gaze." It was Clary's turn to grin like the Cheshire cat. "I believe we've met before. My name is Clary Fray." When nothing but silence and a blank look came from Magnus, she added, "Although, currently I'm going by the title, _That Girl Who Is Believed To Be Dead_. It's way more catchy than _Clary_, right?"

Magnus sighed before gesturing to his home, muttering something under his breath.

"All right then, That Girl Who Is Believed To Be Dead," he began, "you and your friends may enter my humble home." Then, he glanced over somewhere in his apartment. "Oh, and try not to bother Alec. He's sleeping on the couch."

A few minutes later, Magnus plopped down on a nearby chair. Isabelle decided to stand, Simon was leaning against the wall, and Clary sat cross-legged on the ground. Simon opened his mouth to speak, but Magnus held up a hand to stop him.

"Before you launch some ridiculous story that is almost impossible to believe, Samuel - I want to say now that I may not be able to help you." He pointed a questioning finger at Clary. "It depends though, is she the real deal or a mannequin brought to life? Let me say now that I have had enough with mannequins, automatons, or any being that was originally inanimate." His eyes closed and he leaned back, as if recalling a memory only he knew of. "I would rather to never deal with one again."

"Actually," Simon gave a sheepish smile. "I'm not clear with the full story. You'd have to ask Isabelle or Clary."

"This is going to take a while." Clary took a deep breath as she began reciting how she had woken in Idris in the same way she had told Luke and Isabelle.

Another hour of recollecting, questions, and interruptions later, Magnus chuckled.

"Every time I get involved with Shadowhunters, there is always something out of the ordinary that occurs. On the bright side, it's better than being on the confused side where there are those who have no idea what is happening." He looked at Clary, Simon, and Isabelle. "And now, we're talking parallel universes. Unless we have a shape-shifter here - which I really hope we don't - I believe it's completely possible for a portal to function that way."

"Really?" Simon leaned forward, curious, before his gaze fell to the floor in sudden realization. "Wait, so that means our Clary from here truly is…" he trailed off. Isabelle ran a hand through her hair; her eyes darkened. Clary still couldn't help but feel guilty, even if it wasn't her fault - she was the cause of this sadness and grief.

"Dead," Magnus finished softly. The atmosphere in the room had taken a turn for the worse. Clary tried to change the subject by asking,

"So, how is it possible for a portal to lead to other worlds? I thought they were only for a faster transportation around the world."

"They are. Or, they're supposed to be. I mean, only warlocks could create them, but then you came along," Magnus responded. Clary nodded; she had thought so, too. "But you would have to create a portal, you would need _someone_ to create one."

"Clary, you said you weren't imagining anywhere when you fell through, and yet you still ended up here, right?" Simon snapped his fingers. "Then that means someone from your world must have known of the existence of this world! Someone was thinking of this world when they came through - something like that. But, who would be aware of parallel worlds?"

"What he said," Magnus agreed. Isabelle stared at the wall, deep in thought.

"It was a hidden portal," she said, and looked at Clary. "That means whoever it was that created the portal didn't want anyone finding it. It was by complete luck that you fell through. _Why_, though? Why would anyone want to go between parallel worlds?" None of them knew. They were getting closer to uncovering the mystery - but everywhere they went, questions would follow.

* * *

"There's nothing here that leads to Clary." Simon said.

"Thank you for your brilliant observation, Captain Obvious," Jace replied, although he still looked around. It was your typical alley in New York. Trash bags around, some dark graffiti sprayed on the walls, and a cement wall at the very end.

"Always happy to help, Grateful Citizen," came the muttered response.

The most logical thing to assume was that Clary ripped it off and threw it in the alley in a fit of anger. However, something told Jace that that wasn't the case. He knew Clary wasn't like that. Even if Clary didn't care about the importance of the ring to him, he had a feeling she wanted to keep the ring for reasons of her own.

"Are you sure there aren't any secret passages here?" Alec moved some trash bags. "Dark alley, ripped necklace, near the place where Jace last heard Clary - either there's some secret passage here or Clary created a rune to pass through walls." Normally anyone who said such a thing would automatically be labeled as _loony_. In the world of Nephilim though, it was highly possible. The Shadow World was full of secrets, both artificial and natural.

"Maybe she created a portal?" Isabelle suggested. "Maybe something just went wrong and she was sent somewhere far away, where there's no cellphone reception. She might be trying to get back to us this minute."

"No." Alec shook his head. "Otherwise, Magnus would've been able to track her, and we wouldn't be stuck searching the old-fashioned way. Plus, if she did create a portal, she would be able to create one again to send herself to the proper destination."

Jace's grip on the Morgenstern ring tightened. Alec was right - even Magnus wasn't able to track Clary. The closest they'd gotten in nearly three days was a phone call and an empty alley.

"If worst comes to worst, should we notify the Clave?" Alec's question was instantly answered. Jace's head jerked up as he said,

"No, definitely not. The Clave will only come up with some horrible cover-up story for why she's missing, and at worst they'll assume she's taken in Valentine's footsteps."

"It's already crazy enough that they've told us to stop demon hunting for awhile, without saying why. I mean, did something happen? Nephilim exist to hunt demons and make sure they don't hurt mundanes. What is the point of our existence if we stop demon hunting?" Isabelle threw up her hands. "And now Clary is missing… What is going on?"

Hearing Isabelle's words made Jace think the same question. What _was_ going on? There was something they were missing - something about the alley that he somehow knew they had overlooked. He learned from many battles that you should always trust your instincts. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glint of light from one of the bricks that made up the wall next to him.

_Bricks don't reflect off light, _he thought. Everyone's voices drowned out as Jace found himself giving a closer inspection to the brick wall. He took a step forward.

That was when someone burst from the wall randomly, crashing straight into the one nearest to the wall: Jace. He heard a few curses. Obviously whoever flew through the wall wasn't expecting someone to be near.

"What the _hell _are you-" The stranger began, leaping up and regaining balance quickly, and Jace realized with alarm: _This is no stranger._ His hand flew over to the seraph blade he kept on his belt, already whispering,

"_Jahoel._" The seraph blade blazed, a heavenly fire enveloping it as the Angel's name was uttered.

It wasn't a stranger.

It was Jonathan Morgenstern - better known as Sebastian.

* * *

**Please review! :D**


	7. You're Not Happy To See Me Again?

**A/N Welp, here's your chapter. I don't really have much to say… ._. Typed this up on Saturday - **_**cause I finally have some time! **_**:D It feels so good not to feel pressured and rushed.**

**And yes, I do put references to past events in the **_**Mortal Instruments**_** series and even the **_**Infernal Devices **_**trilogy. Can you spot them? Some of them are obvious and others are subtle.**

**I'm not a witty person. -_- I can't crack a comeback if my life depended on it. :(**

* * *

_Chapter 6:_

"So what am I supposed to do?" Clary looked at Magnus, clearly hoping he knew what to do next. As far as the information they had went, she was stuck in this world where everyone believed she kicked the can.

Magnus threw up his hands, the gesture directed at Clary.

"Don't ask me! Sure, I know about portals, but there's only so much my magnificent mind can do." The warlock gave a sigh. "It _is_ nice to see you again, though. I've seen many deaths in my life - and it's refreshing to one of them come back from the dead, even if they're from some parallel universe or world." He turned his head back to the couch (with a sleeping Alec on it), a thoughtful expression visible on his face. "I thought Shadowhunters were always vigilant, but now I've seen two of them in my life who can sleep through anything."

Isabelle turned to Clary, who was currently staring intensely at Magnus for his sudden change in topic.

"Okay, I don't think he's going to help us more than how he just did before," she decided.

"At least we know something." Simon glanced at Clary, the slightest of a hint of resignation in his voice. "Our Clary is gone, and we should probably start finding ways to send this Clary back. I don't think my alternate self is going to like her disappearance any more than I would."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Isabelle didn't sound like she thought it was a good idea. Her gaze also lingered on Clary. With Isabelle and Simon's attention at her, Clary got the feeling they were reluctant to help her leave their world.

_BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT._

The doorbell of the apartment made all four of them jerk their heads up. Alec opened his eyes groggily and with slight alarm, before closing them again once realizing it was only the door.

"Who is it now?" Magnus yawned, and rose up from his chair. "I swear, all of you people _love_ to visit in the early mornings." Some minute shimmers of sparkles fell off from the action and landed softly on the surface of the ground.

Making his way to the door, he looked through the peephole. "It's Jace. This morning is full of surprises, too." Isabelle made a noise that was half-shock, half-curse.

And before any of them could move to stop him, Magnus had already taken down the bolt and opened the door. Clary's eyes couldn't help but follow him as Jace stormed right past Magnus and into the room. His hand had a tight grip on a seraph blade, and he looked breathless.

Clary knew she had to move, but she was frozen.

"Oh sure - just barge in here like it's your own home! It's nice to see you, too!" Magnus exclaimed with indignation. Jace ignored his words.

"I saw Sebastian. Chased him down to an alley nearby. He jumped into a portal, and I couldn't follow. I think something's blocking me from entering that portal, and I need you to get rid of it," he spoke quickly, as if the world itself might collapse if he took too long. It was likely he hadn't seen them yet from his position.

"You saw _Sebastian_?!" Clary could tell Simon didn't mean to say it aloud, because he automatically shut his mouth and clenched his teeth. However, she noticed his usual brown eyes were becoming black with fury. The name _Sebastian_ was definitely the trigger.

Jace blinked after he turned his head to see them, proving Clary's guess. Then, like Magnus, his eyes traveled over to Clary.

They widened, and a variety of emotions filled the golden orbs.

"Well," Magnus muttered, still holding the doorknob, "you're going to have to get in line then, because it seems everyone's needy today."

* * *

Jace didn't know what to think. Here was Clary's _brother_, who had nothing in common with her, whom he thought was dead. After all, he had been the one to kill him.

He guessed beings like Sebastian just couldn't stay dead, although everyone wished they did. His hand tightened around _Jahoel_.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, his annoyance toward Jace increasing with every second passing.

"It doesn't matter what world I'm in - you never stop being a pest." He looked at all of them, meeting all their gazes. Jace was aware they felt more hate than surprise at this point. "Ah, the whole gang is together. It was better when you were all broken up in your own despair. How are you all?"

He was met with fierce and vicious regard. However, they were faintly taken aback, and Sebastian noticed. He didn't miss a beat.

"As murderous as usual, I see." The demonic Shadowhunter enjoyed their confusion of his words. Then he raised his eyebrows, as if noticing something. "And where's my dear sister?" _Is this all a game to him?_ Jace thought, his anger rising.

"What did you do to her?" Jace's words were sharp, and he wanted to lunge at him. But that foolish action alone would mean his loss.

"What did I do to whom? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific." Sebastian was playing with them, and they knew it.

"Stop playing around. You know who we're talking about." Isabelle had her electrum whip out, and unlike Jace - she was seconds away from pouncing. He only raised his hands in an "innocent" gesture and smiled before answering,

"The only Clary I know is dead."

A sharp sense of cold, icy dread washed over Jace. He shook his head; it had to be a lie. Sebastian was evidently enjoying this, so he had to be lying.

_He has to be._ The seraph blade he held, _Jahoel_, blazed in response.

In his moment of distraction, Sebastian rushed him. Isabelle cracked her whip from behind. Jace was ready to deflect any blow - he was the one with the seraph blade, after all. The others tensed, prepared for a fight.

A fight that never came. Sebastian swerved at the last second, ducking and easily sliding past Simon and Alec, who were in an offensive position rather than a blocking one. Smirking, he gave a small salute and disappeared around the corner, leaving the four of them.

Jace cursed as he watched him get away. With Sebastian, he had probably already covered 10 blocks by now. They had gained nothing but more doubts from their little "meeting."

"I get the feeling he knows where Clary is," Alec said through clenched teeth after a pause. Isabelle was still glaring at the corner.

"That's because he does."

* * *

Clary finally snapped back to attention, but it was too late to move out of sight. Jace was still staring at her, and there was something in his eyes that made her worried.

And after an agonizingly long period of time where everyone was frozen in some position, Jace broke away his gaze at her and moved to sheathe his seraph blade. He turned to Magnus slowly, as if the moment wasn't dramatic enough.

"What is this?" he asked softly. The fact that he wasn't yelling or reacting in some kind of violent way made everything seemingly worse. Isabelle winced, and Simon had sucked in a breath, the idea of exhaling forgotten to him.

The sick feeling Clary had before returned. Just like how she had felt with Simon before, the thought, _This isn't the Jace I know_ - came to mind.

When no one answered him, Jace's eyes flicked over to Clary, an almost savage glint in them. This time, it was Clary's turn to flinch. He had never faced her with such… such _hatred_ before. _Isabelle was right when she said Jace shouldn't meet me, _Clary thought.

"Who the hell are you?" His voice was harsh. If Clary didn't know any better she'd think it sounded like her voice towards her own father. She opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.

Why was it suddenly so hard to speak? Why did the room feel like it was closing in on her again? Clary thought she would be happy to see Jace again. A part of her even believed he would be happy too, despite how Isabelle reacted when she came in contact with anyone, really. But it was obvious life wasn't like that.

She hadn't even noticed Jace had extended a hand toward her until Simon was standing, his hand that was holding vampiric strength tight on Jace's arm.

"Jace, stop."

"Let go of me, Bloodsucker. You know this isn't… Clary." Jace's golden eyes narrowed, and it finally dawned upon Clary that she was being treated like an enemy. "It's Sebastian. He's probably recruited some shape-shifting demon this time." He looked back at Clary. "That day in Angel Square at Alicante… That was you, wasn't it? I knew it was too good to be true."

Each word was a pin, a thumbtack in her heart. At that moment she spotted her voice, but it was broken when she used it.

"It's really me, Jace," she rasped. "Please, let us explain." It sounded cliché, but it was all she could think of to say.

"Sure," he scoffed, unconvinced. "And now you're all going to tell me the Angel Raziel brought you back or something."

It did make Clary think, though. _Was_ the Angel Raziel responsible for her falling through the portal? If so, why? Was there something bigger going on here than she thought? Jace misinterpreted her silence.

"I thought so." His golden eyes burned like heavenly fire as he glared at Simon. "If Bloodsucker weren't here, you'd pay for trying to masquerade as Clary. No one but Clary can be Clary."

Clary snapped; the guilt, confusion, and sorrow finally consuming her and morphing into slight irritation.

"Okay. Let it be your way!" She rose and took a daring step to him. He stared defiantly back. "If you don't want me to be Clary, then who in Raziel's name do you want me to be? The President of the United States? An animal? Oh, I know, how about a _duck_?"

"You wouldn't dare!" he answered, a mock expression of hurt crossing his face before his emotions shut again. Within seconds he only looked taken aback, surprised that she knew. Clary continued,

"Because I can create a rune for that! Do you want for me to _prove_ to you I'm Clary? I can attempt and succeed in anything with drawing runes, with the only exception of erasing your arrogance. God knows that's impossible."

Suddenly, she felt her strength beginning to shrink as she thought back to his arrogance. How even when she was frustrating him by continually asking to go on a demon hunt with the rest of them, he remained his usual, egotistic self. Her words didn't stop, although they took on a regretful tone.

"All I wanted was to go on a _demon hunt_ with you guys, and of course I get myself into a situation like this! Of course I fall through a goddamn hidden portal! Of course I wake up in Idris! Of course everyone believes I'm dead! And then I learn that this is some freaking _parallel universe_ and I can't find a way to go back and the me from this world really _is_ dead while Sebastian is alive and I still don't know what to do and…" she choked. "Is this God's way of telling me I'm useless?"

Her gaze falling to the ground, she didn't want to look up to face him anymore. It was _useless_. She was _useless._ It was her fault that got her stuck in this world.

From the corner of her vision, she saw Jace shake off Simon's grip and advance in her direction. Magnus and Isabelle had been quiet during the whole ordeal. Clary braced herself for some sort of attack, but it didn't come.

Instead, she felt warmth. In a short moment, she realized there was an arm around her waist and her head was resting on someone's shoulder. Jace had one hand on the back of her head, and Clary couldn't see his expression. All she knew was that he was slightly trembling.

"I…" he hesitated, as if not knowing what words to say. Finally, he settled on two. "I'm sorry."

Clary felt like she was home. She was aware that this wasn't the Jace she knew, but it was still _Jace_, and he didn't seem hostile anymore. For the moment, at least. Both of them were aware they had to let go at some time, but neither wanted to.

Both wanted to live in the fantasy of the other's presence.

"And," Jace was at a loss for words (and it was another sign that this was a parallel universe, or that he was different, because Clary knew Jace always knew what to say), "you're not… you're not useless. Don't ever think for a second that you are."

_Huh, _Clary mused. _I suddenly don't feel so useless._

* * *

**THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT! *gasp* My sincerest apologies. :(**

**Yes, I am aware that Jace told Clary about his hatred/fear of ducks in **_**City of Lost Souls**_**. I broke the protocol of time there. My excuse? Because I wanted to. *cheesy smile***

**Please review! :D**


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